The other night while I was on call, 3 patients were brought in from the same road traffic accident (RTA – as they say here in Ghana…as opposed to MVA or MVC used in the States to mean “motor vehicle accident or collision.”) One patient had head injuries, another had a open knee wound with […]
Toe Amputation (w/ slideshow)
A 30 year-old gentleman presented to me in clinic with the history of having dropped an iron bar on his toe 15 days prior to coming to clinic. He had first sought the treatment of the local healers. He unwrapped his foot to reveal a big toe that was no longer big. An ulcer encircled […]
Ultrasounds
One of the skills that I have been picking up over the past 3 months is doing ultrasounds. Most of time, it is for dating a pregnancy. Pregnancy tests are in limited supply here. If a woman wants confirmation of pregnancy, we exam her in the consultation room and send her down to the theater […]
Excising Lipomas (w/ slideshow)
A lipoma is a benign tumor composed of fatty tissue that accumulates just under the skin. Removal of these tumors is usually for cosmetic reasons or because they cause discomfort for the patient. Here at the BMC, lipomas are excised under local anesthetic in the minor procedure room. I have removed several from the shoulder, […]
Googley Eyes (Part 3)
Following suit of my recent “googley” eyes photos, I snapped this one yesterday at clinic. This kid was getting a blood test for malaria and his eyes grew 10x bigger when the lab tech revealed the needle.
Buruli Ulcer
When I first came to BMC, there was a young girl named Lamisi with an extensive ulcer across her chest. It was caused by a microbe called Mycobacterium ulcerans (in the same family as tuberculosis). It is found in tropical rain forests as are found in southern Ghana. Lamisi’s family had been farming down south […]
Photo of the Day
I think I’ve mentioned before how much I enjoy watching Heidi do c-sections. Being present for a person’s first breath is really special. Today Heidi helped deliver a baby and it came out with its eyes wide open – I mean WIDE open. I guess it was surprised to see its first white person! Check […]
Typhoid
Since I have been here, I have seen many patients with Typhoid fever and its complications. Typhoid is caused by a bacteria called Salmonella typhi. Most commonly, it is transmitted by contaminated food and drinking water. Clinically, the disease presents itself with a rising or sustained fever, headache, weakness, decreased appetite, abdominal pain, sometimes constipation, […]
End Stage Liver Disease
A Togolese patient comes to BMC with a tragic case of end stage liver disease and a textbook case of caput medusae.